Socket-wrench.



L. MUELLER SOCKET WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 3. 19m.

1,155,675. Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

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LOUISYMQUELLER, or cINcINNArI, OHIO.

rice.

SOCKET-WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

Application filed October 3, 1913. Serial No. 793,138."

of the city of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Socketrenches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

It is the object of my invention to provide a socket wrench which can be used for a number of sizes and shapes of nuts, and in a large number of positions and which automatically locks itself in position for use upon adjustment. This is accomplished by that certain construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter pointed out and claimed whereby, among other things, a desired number of socket pieces are telescoped into a barrel mounted in a handle and arranged to be shifted into proper position for use.

In the drawings, Figure 1' is'a sideelevation of the wrench, with the operating end in section. Fig. 2 is a similar View on an adjacent side to Fig. 1, with the handle portion in section. Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 2, with the handle out of endwise engagement. Fig. 4: is a perspective of one of the socket piece handles. Fig. 5 is a vertical section through one such handle, in holding position. Fig. 6 is a similar'view of the same in releasing position. Fig. 7 is a plan view of one end of the socket wrench.

1 is a rectangular barrel in which areto be telescoped the various socket pieces, as.

hereinafter described. It has a central partition 2 in which is journaled the shank 3 of a bolt, the head 4 of the bolt being secured outside of the arms 5, 5, of the handle. These arms are preferably two stiff metallic strips of a length substantially greater than half the length of the barrel. :The barrel can thus be swung to any'position around the bolt.

The tool may be used with the arms at right angles to the barrel, but it is usually secured parallel to the arms as followszln an enlarged portion 6 of the arms, a rectangular cup 7 is arranged to reciprocate. A beveled latch 8, with a head 9 is mounted in the collar 10 on one of the arms. An aperture 11 in the cup 7 is positioned to receive the latch, which is pressed in by the spring 12 mounted on the arm. The latch goes into locking position when the cup has been advanced so as to cover the end of the barrel. It should be of a size to fit snugly over the barrel and hold it firmly while the tool is being used.

The cup is operated by means of a rod 13, ournaled in the boss 14 in connection portion of the arms, and rigidly attached to the cup. The handle proper 15 is rigidly secured to the rod 13 by the pin 16. The handle has an inwardly projecting sleeve 17 in which, and hence around the rod 13, is placed the spring 18.. This spring bears against the bossla and tends to throw the handle and the rod 13 outwardly. Thus when the latch 8 is withdrawn from the cup, the cup will spring out of engagement with the end of the barrel (Figs. 2 and 3), allowing the barrel to be rotated on the bolt 3.

Since the handle is rigid to the cup and the cup is held by the barrel and by the arms against any turning, the arrangement for holding the barrel permits of its use as a socket wrench, with the operator turning on the handle 15. It also provides a simple and effective way of turning the barrel so that either end of it may be used as a wrench.

It is desired to provide for three sizes of socket at each end of the barrel, and to arrange the socket for use with square and hexagonal nuts, thus providing twelve different uses for the wrench. The ends of the barrel are square and provided with the 120 angle cuts 19, 19, opposing each other in two of its sides. This is the shape also of the two socket pieces 20 and 21, which are telescoped into each end of the barrel. The one end of the barrel will have three graduated socket pieces and the other end will have three graduated socket pieces on a different scale, thus making the six sizes. The angle cuts 19, 19, allow. a hexagonal nut 22 to be securely seized by the socket pieces.

The telescoped socket pieces, which are rectangular in shape, are advanced from or drawn into the barrel. by means of pins 23, screwed into the nieces and extending across the inside of the pieces and out through a slot 26 in the barrel. That of the larger piece is sufliciently far back not to interfere with the smaller, and a slot 24 in the larger is provided to allow full sliding of the smaller.

The slots in the barrel are of suitable of the barrel.

length and at proper intervals broadened out as will be detailed so that a spring keeps the cylindrical portion out until they are pushed in to present a cutaway portion which will pass the narrower part of the slots 26.

The handles have cored heads 27, which fit over the pins, and inwardly extending sleeves 28 which will slide onthe pins in side of the socket pieces. Inside of the socket pieces the end of the sleeves are screwed into nuts 29, and coiled springs 30 around the pins bear on these nuts. These springs tend to force the handles outwardly so that the sleeves engage the openings 25 in the. barrel slots, and the sleeves are cut away at 31 just under the heads so that a narrow portion is presented to the slots as the handles are pushed in. To move the inner socket piece out to the position to en gage a small nut (Fig. 1), its handle is pushed in, which brings the narrow portion 31 into the slot 26. The sleeve 28 is then extended into the socket piece (Fig. 6) through the slot 24 in the larger of the sockets, and the pins 23 may be pushed forward to advance the socket piece to opera-' tive position. If the proper size is not gained by this operation, the pin 8 is raised and the cup 7 will spring away from the end The barrel may then be swung around, the cup pushed down until it catches on the pin and the smallest socket in the other end of the barrel advanced for trial in the same manner detailed above. The use and the value of the wrench are now clear by the foregoing description.

It is not desired to be limited to the number of socket pieces, because there could be barrels could also be provided 'to accompl sh this duplication.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:-

1. A socket wrench comprising a barrel portion with a plurality of ends, sockets in the ends, a handle portion for said barrel,

it 'or' p ivotally Iiioiinting the barrel in the handle and means for holding the barrel rigidly in the handle portion comprising a spring-pulled socket to fit over the barrel end and a latch for said socket for the purpose described.

2. A socket wrench comprising a holder portion witha plurality of open ends, socket pieces of graded sizes telescoped into the ends, a handle for said holder and means for independently advancing any socket piece in the holder ends, and means in the holder cooperating with, the socket advancer means for locking said socket: advancer means in a plurality of positions, whereby selected ones ofothe socket pieces may be advanced together, flush with or beyondthe holder ends. v V

3. A socket wrench comprising a holder position wit-l1 a plurality of open ends, socket pieces of graded sizes telescop'ed into the ends,xa handle for said holder and means for independently advancing any socket.

the socket pieces may be advanced together,

flush with or beyond the holder ends.

4:. A socketwrench comprising a rectan gular barrel, socket pieces of graded; sizes" telescoped into said barrel, pins on the socket pieces and extending through the barrel for advancing the socket pieces, andmeans in connection with the pins and the barrel for locking the pins in a plurality of predetermined positions, so that anyone, ones, or all of the socket pieces may be'locked inside of, flush with or beyond-the barrel ends.

5. A' I socket wrench comprising a rectangularbarrel with a plurality of open: ends,

socket pieces telescopeddnto: the barrel,-

nieans for independently advancing and withdrawingthe socketpieces from the ends of the barrel,;-a handle for: the barrel and spring-pulled means 'for' securing V the, barrel rigidlytofthe handle inxia "plurality of positions and means "for locking 'said securing means when in holding position. l v LOUIS MUELLER WVitnesses: 1

EARLNV. GRIFFIN,

HELEN L. ARoHHoLz.

Copies of this patentmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing-the Commissioner of- Patents,

Washington, D. 0. A 

